


Legaco

by blua and oro (vehlr)



Series: Blue & Gold XY-XX - Mainverse [7]
Category: Blue Beetle (Comics), Booster Gold (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 06:58:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2260233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehlr/pseuds/blua%20and%20oro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(legacy) - Ted, meet the new Blue Beetle. Jaime, meet the old Blue Beetle.</p>
<p>Awkwardness, you're up!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

Ted can do many things extremely well. A lot of things had moved up the list of specialist-Ted-abilities since he had come back from the dead – his younger body lent itself well to a lot of his old favourites. However, right now 'freaking out' is surprisingly high on that list.

“Are you sure you're ready for this? It's okay if you're not, I just -”

“Please, just... stop talking. If I don't do this now, I'll just put it off.”

“Alright, alright, no need to get all grumpy!”

“Sorry, sorry... I just... what do I even _say_?”

“You say, 'hi, I'm Ted,' and then you wait for him to calm down. Seriously, Ted, you're overthinking this. Just wait and see, okay?”

“Is that the house?”

“Uh-huh. Ready?”

“As I'll ever be.”

They make a strange couple, heading up the path to the front door of the Reyes household. But then, Ted supposes, they always were a little mismatched – sure, he was no slouch and quite frankly he was in the best shape of his life thanks to the exercise in cloning, but she was something else entirely. But all thoughts of her 'something else' flee from his mind as she knocks neatly on the door. Michelle beams as Jaime's mother opens the door, surprised to see the younger woman in such high spirits.

"Michelle? We weren't expecting to see you again for a few months!"

"Is this a bad time, Mrs Reyes? I was hoping to catch Jaime and Milagro..."

"Come in, come in. And please, call me Bianca. Why Milagro? Is she in trouble again?"

She reveals a carefully wrapped present, looking abashed. "I missed her birthday. I swear, I didn't mean to, but -"

"Oh, she'll be over the moon! And don't worry, she knows sometimes you're too busy keeping the timeline in order - though I for one question how a very public row with the Kardashian matriarch is keeping time flowing," the woman adds sternly. Michelle shrugs, before embracing her. It is only now, with an unblocked view, that Ted is spotted skulking behind her. "Oh, my dear, who is this?"

“This is... this is Ted Kord.” Bianca's eyes widen, and Michelle raises her hands. “It's... a really complicated story, but suffice to say I think Jaime would really like to talk to him.”

“ _Mio_... come in, please.” She ushers the pair in, and Ted hesitates for a moment, feeling out of his depth. But the woman's warm smile reassures him, and he manages to speak.

“You have a lovely home.”

“Oh, it is nothing much. Jaime! Come here, please!”

Down the stairs bounds a young man – _my god, I know you said he was young, but he's a child!_ \- and Michelle stands to greet him. He grins at the sight of her.

“Hey, Booster!”

“Jaime! How've you been?”

“Pretty good. What's going on?”

“I, ah... I don't know if you've heard any of the rumours going around, but I wanted to clear the air with you first -”

“Whoa.” The boy stops, eyes wider than Ted has seen on a person, his stare fixed solely on the older man. The world feels very tight and small all of a sudden. “ _Whoa_. Is... is this...?”

“Yeah, buddy, this is Ted.” Michelle rests a hand on Ted's shoulder, steadying him. “He's not visiting from the past, he's... really real. Here for good. And he's _really_ interested to find out what you have to show him.”

At the prompt, Ted stops staring and smiles, holding out a hand. “Hey, Jaime. It's, uh, it's really weird to meet you? I mean, it's _great_ , but... I'm still getting used to all this.”

“Wow. I mean, wow. I'm, uh... I'm Jaime. It's... it's an honour, sir.”

“Oh, god, _please_ don't call me sir,” he groans, laughing.

“Sorry! I -”

“Okay, both of you stop talking and go upstairs and nerd out,” interrupts Michelle, laughing. “Seriously, go, or you'll embarrass all of us with your awkwardness. Now. Hey Milagro!” She calls up the stairs to the little girl. “You coming to play?” A childish yell follows, and Ted sees only a blur of a girl racing down the stairs before he and Jaime are shoved up the stairs and in through a bedroom door.

“I, uh... I don't really have a cool base of operations like you did,” admits Jaime, holding his arms out wide, “but it's home.”

Ted's eyes trace the room, his smile widening as he takes in every detail of the young boy's life. “It's exactly what _you_ need – that's good enough for me.” Jaime gestures for the man to take a seat and he perches on the edge of the bed. “So... I mean, if it's not...” Ted stops, taking a breath before starting again. “Sorry, I swear I'm usually a _lot_ better at talking.”

“It's weird,” Jaime says nervously. “But that's okay, y'know? I mean... you've been, uh... _gone_... for a while.”

“Yeah... but not from my point of view.” He leans back, shaking his head slightly. “But that's not important right now. You're the Blue Beetle. How are you dealing with that?”

The young man ducks his head. “Oh, it's... okay, really. It's hard sometimes, especially with Mom. She worries a lot about me since I got back.”

“Got back?”

“Well, when I got the scarab, some really _strange_ stuff happened...”


	2. Part Two

The day wears on, and the stories keep coming. Jaime tells him about the Reach, about the many misadventures juggling his home life and the world he was trying desperately to fit into, about how sometimes he worried that everyone just wanted to protect him because he was young... truths that Ted imagines are not often told to just anyone. And he is honoured, really, to be sat here with this incredible young man reliving his life. But something had been bothering him for decades, and though he knew it might give off the wrong impression to Jaime, he still had to ask.

“So you can talk to the scarab? Like, actually have a conversation with it?”

“Sort of. It's more like I understand what it wants me to understand.” He grins. “We don't always get along. It's kind of a pain in the a- ah...”

Ted grins right back. “Gotcha. Kind of like Booster, then.” He gestures out the window, where the woman in question has Jaime's little sister in her arms, flying just above the ground as the girl holds up some action figures. “Could you... could you ask it something for me?”

Jaime leans forward, brow furrowed in curiosity. “Anything! What do you want to know?”

He ducks his head, suddenly feeling rather petty and small. “I... please, understand, this is something that I've been... I've wanted to know ever since I started, when Dan...” He groans, running a hand through his hair. “God. Okay, just... ask it why it... why it didn't...”

“Why it never worked for you.” He kneels in front of the older man, head tilted.

“Yeah. I know it sounds... god, I sound awful, I'm sorry. But I just... if I knew, I'd stop beating myself up with worse ideas.” He winces. “I spent years thinking I wasn't good enough for it. And don't get me wrong – I did some good things, and I hope Dan would be proud of everything that I did in his name.”

“Khaji Da respects you, Ted.” Jaime looks like he is listening to music that Ted cannot hear – and in a way, he is. “But it refused to bond with you because your timeline was too uncertain. It says it didn't expect this, though. You flew in and out of time and that was an unknowable variable for Khaji Da. It felt you weren't a reliable enough host because of that.” He suddenly smiles. “But it's willing to talk to you now, if you'd like.”

Ted stares. Time travel – his adventures with Booster. The scarab had foreseen all of that, and out of preservation had chosen to stay idle? He does not really know how to react to that. Wait, talk to the scarab?

“Talk? How? I thought he was... grafted on to you.”

Jaime lifts his shirt up, turning to reveal the scarab embedded in his back. It looks almost unreal to Ted, that the artifact – once so precious to him, idolised and hated in the same breath – now sits on the spine of a human being. “He can transmit information through touch – sort of? What do you mean sort of? Oh. Oh, right! He can, but he doesn't. But it's you, so he will.”

Ted reaches out, hesitating for a long moment before muttering under his breath. “Hell with it.” And he closes the gap, fingertips light on the scarab's wings -

 

_??? ted kord ???_

 

\- and then Ted is on his side, curled up and cold and everyone is crowding into the small bedroom at once.

“What the hell happened? Jaime, you okay?”

“I'm fine, I don't know – _ay_ , alright alright! Shut up for a second!”

“Tell that stupid scarab to -”

“Jaime, baby, please... get out of the suit!”

“Everybody just calm down, it's _okay_ -”

Ted flinches as a hand settles on his forehead.

“Ted? Ted, are you okay? God, he's cold, why is he _cold_?”

“M'fine, just... leave me alone...”

“Ted?”

“Leave me alone,” he growls, hauling himself up as he wipes his face. “Jaime, are you two alright?”

“We're fine. Shut up, you are totally fine, you crybaby!”

“Okay. Mrs Reyes, I'm very sorry for the intrusion. Is there a chance I could use your bathroom?” He manages a tight smile as she gestures across the corridor, pulling himself to his feet. Michelle does not rise with him, and he is thankful for the distance right now, closing the bathroom door behind him.

The bubble of noise starts up again – he can hear Jaime's mother fussing over the young man and Milagro asking what all the noise was about – but in the safety of the shower cubicle he can decompress. Head resting against the cool tiles, he breathes deeply. He should never have come here.

After some time, he emerges to a quiet house. Jaime's room is empty, but as he makes his way back downstairs he can hear a soft humming that fills him with a gentle sense of ease. Bianca Reyes stands in the small kitchen, making something that smells wonderful already.

“You must be very proud of him.”

Bianca looks up as Ted enters the kitchen, smiling gently. “My son? Always.”

“But worried, too. I am, and I've only just met him.”

She nods. “I see the scars he carries, the troubles that show on his face and in his heart. I remember the Blue Beetle before him.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Jaime says you were a brave man. I do not know you, but I trust my son's judgement, and I trust Michelle.” She regards him with a hard stare. “She's important to us, you know. She does not come to visit as often as I would like, and she is not exactly the _best_ role model, but she is part of our family now.”

“She's important to me too.”

“She had _better_ be.” And he understands that tone clearly, the tone of a mother who does not forgive easily.

“Where is she? I, ah... I need to -”

She gestures out the window, her soft humming starting up again, and he watches the scene. Michelle sits with Milagro in her lap, braiding her hair. Jaime is spread out beside them, feet impatiently shaking as the young girl chatters away.

“Is Ted okay?”

Michelle's hands still for a moment before continuing. “I think he will be. He's had a lot to deal with, and the scarab... well, it was always very important to him.”

“Why?”

“Well, it gave his mentor his powers. Sort of like your brother, but not as... effective. And then Ted got given it, and it didn't do anything for him. It's a bit like... okay, say your brother gave you a really cool favourite toy of his, but the minute you held it... it doesn't work anymore. How would you feel?”

The girl thinks for a moment. “I'd hit Jaime,” she says finally, and Ted cannot help but smile.

“Hey!”

“It'd suck, right?” Michelle reaches for some ribbon, tying up the loose ends. “And if I were Ted... I'd probably ask the scarab why.”

“So... he's sad, but he's going to be okay?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

Ted takes a deep breath before stepping out into the garden. At the sight of the man, Jaime and Milagro perk up, and Michelle – though clearly still worried – offers a wave, smiling as he returns it.

“Sorry about that. Long day.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Really long day. Is everyone okay?”

“My hair's pretty,” announces Milagro, bedecked in blue ribbons.

“It is,” he agrees, squatting in front of her. “Hi Milagro. I'm Ted.”

“Hi Ted.”

“Are you okay?” Michelle reaches out for a moment, but does not quite touch him.

“Yeah. Sorry for earlier, I didn't mean to snap at you.”

“Don't worry about it.”

“Are you guys staying for dinner?” asks Jaime. “My mom makes enough for a hundred, so it's not like you're putting her out.”

Ted thinks for a long moment. “I think I owe it to your mom,” he says finally. “Gotta prove I'm not just some crazy guy who falls over a lot, right?”


	3. Part Three

Ted does not mention the incident all evening, and Michelle does not push him. In fact, he is glad of the quiet – they catch a cab downtown back to the apartment, switch on the TV and spend the best part of three hours drinking beers and binging on terrible procedural cop shows without exchanging a word.

Any other day, and he would have taken her temperature, citing illness.

But he finds the quiet calming. The scarab had inundated him with images, memories and thoughts, far too much to process in one day. He had felt Dan's thoughts, watched Jaime's awakening, witnessed his friends through the eyes of an alien being... and been given fragments of information about his own demise. It is this that hangs over Ted right now, the half-knowledge surrounding his death and the sad realisation that Michelle had kept this from him.

“What happened when I touched the scarab?” he asks finally, as if the thought had just occurred to him.

“You, ah... you screamed. A lot. It was terrifying.” She does not turn to face him. “How's your hand?”

“Still tender. Must have been an electrical impulse.”

“Mm.”

“Want another?”

“No thanks, four is way past my limit.” She regards her almost-empty bottle. “I should probably go to bed, it's getting late.”

“Hey, can I ask you something?” He puts a hand on her shoulder, almost pinning her to the couch. “Why haven't you told me about my death?”

She does not respond, staring at the label of her bottle.

“Hey. Talk to me.”

“What happened with the scarab?” She is quiet, and he lets go to grab a new drink.

“It showed me a lot of things. The connection with Dan, the reality of the Reach -”

“What did you see?”

Ted relaxes back against the counter. “Jaime got shot in the head.”

She curls her legs up, one arm wrapping around them. “I know. I was there.”

“Did I get shot in the head? Is that why Max did it to Jaime?”

“Stop it.”

“'Chelle, tell me what happened.”

“Stop -”

“Tell me!” he snaps, and she glares at him. He takes a deep breath. “I... I shouldn't have to hear it from anyone else. I've been patient because I know it was traumatic for you, but -”

“Traumatic?” She laughs, a hollow bitter sound. “Don't patronise me. If you want information, ask Skeets. I'm not your personal historian.”

“ _ Aren't _ you?” For a moment, he thinks he might have pushed her too far, but he is determined to see this through. “You're my best friend, 'Chelle. That's kind of your job – we know each other better than anyone, we know how the stories played out. If you won't tell me... who else am I supposed to ask?”

The silence hangs between them awkwardly, and he shakes his head, defeated as he snaps the top off his next drink.

She hesitates, before letting out a long breath. “I don't know everything because I wasn't... I wasn't there.”

It sounds like a confession. He crosses back over, sitting next to her. “Tell me.”

“Your finances... Ted, you were  _ broke _ . And not just... someone was draining your accounts. And you came to me, you wanted to follow the paper trail and find out who was behind it all. You had nothing left, and I... I abandoned you. Got on a plane and let. But I came back. Found you rough-housing with the Madniks like you had nothing to lose.” She manages a soft smile. “We took care of them. Decided to do some old-fashioned sleuthing online, but they targeted your house – blew us both up. I was in pretty bad shape, I didn't get out the hospital for a day or two... and you'd run off to track down who'd attacked us before I was ready. The rest... well.” She is barely focusing on the bottle in her hands now, seeing something beyond the story. “I can only guess how stupidly noble you were, facing off against Max. I bet you didn't even hurt him. He was... not as kind to you.”

“What happened to you?”

She rubs her face, surreptitiously wiping her eyes. “Oh, not much. I got out the hospital and Diana found me, took me to the Tower and that's when Bruce broke the news to us. I was so angry I could barely speak. Couldn't look at him. Couldn't  _ talk _ to him for a very long time, but eventually... well, you have to move on, don't you? Can't hate  _ Batman _ . That's  _ crazy _ . But the whole OMAC mess, Brother Eye... I'll never forget who started it all. I'll never forget who let you down when you needed them.” 

“'Chelle, I'm sorry. I just...”

“No, Ted, stop. Look, I get it. You want to know how it all ended, that's natural. But you don't understand – that was my life. I lived through losing you in real time – it's not just a story to me, it's the worst days of my ridiculous life and I will  _ never _ get over that. And it still – I mean, you're here, you're real again and I'm... god, Ted, I never even  _ dreamed _ this was possible, and I'm  _ so _ glad you're here. But you're... you're also not here.” She shakes her head. “There's a version of you that's gone forever, and I've spent years mourning him. I can't get that time back.”

“I'm right here,” he murmurs, falling back against the couch. “I'm still...  _ me.  _ Everything we went through... it was still me. ”

“I know.” Finally, she reaches out, fingers entwining with his. “I'm sorry. I'm still... I don't know, I wake up and I'm still not always sure you're gonna be there when I come out of my room. I've lived with a ghost in my head for so long that I've forgotten how to live with the real thing. I didn't tell you about losing you because I didn't want to feel it all over again, but I should have. You have every right to know.” She laughs weakly. “Full disclosure, I was kind of an ass.”

“I probably deserved it.” He leans over to rest his head on her shoulder. “Hell, I definitely deserved it. You got hospitalised because of me.”

“Didn't even scar.”

He closes his eyes. “Yeah, you did,” he murmurs. Ted understands unseen damage – he still carries the scars from Dan, after all – but he knows better than to stir up the past, especially when it is not his to touch. Passing her his beer, he settles in for another hour of television, content to let it wash over him in a haze as he tries to forget the man he never was.

  
   
  


It is almost dawn when he jolts awake, the nightmare slipping from his mind before he has a chance to recall it. Michelle remains at his side, face pressed into his shoulder. He almost does not want to move, but he is struck by an urge. Kissing her on the crown, he leaves her to sleep as he opens his laptop, taking great care as he types the words:  _ Ted Kord, Ex-Blue Beetle _


End file.
